Huskies coach Jim Calhoun and Aztecs coach Steve Fisher have been doing this long enough to realize miles don’t matter at this point in the West regional — not compared to the distance both teams traveled all season to reach this stage.

Two surprisingly successful squads with much-respected leaders meet Thursday night at Honda Center, with the winner moving to the brink of the Final Four.

Calhoun acknowledges he has been thrilled by his freshman-laden lineup’s maturity at UConn (28-9), one of just two Big East teams left.